David Sudmalis: Townsville Snapshot - An Audience with Sue Albanus

Abstract

Using the voice of North Queensland-based artist and educator Sue Albanus, this work explores in sound and text a number of social issues relevant to regional Australia: relative isolation; the importance of community groups in assisting in the maintenance of identity and self-worth; and the contribution of individuals who, through their resilient and pro-active disposition, are able to make a difference to the community in which they live. Complementing this textual base is a musical one that aims to reflect aspects of the physical habitat of the region: long, flat bass tones constantly shift colour and register in a manner of the arid earth of the environ; points of light illuminate the upper registers reminiscent of the spectacular starry skies; and aggressive rumblings emulate the attempts of the natural environment to reclaim the land now concerned with suburban and industrial development. The concepts of aridity are also used extensively in the mixing process - a sense of dryness, crackling and popping are evident in the final product.